In one aspect the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for wirelessly connecting a smartphone to a remote FM radio system. The apparatus enables control of playback of audio content delivered wirelessly to the smartphone, via a wide area network, on the remote FM radio system. The apparatus may comprise a housing adapted to receive a DC power signal from a remote DC power source. A control panel may be included which has a display and a plurality of controls for controlling the playback of the audio content on the remote FM radio system. At least one of the controls may perform a function in common with a playback control appearing on a display of the smartphone. An electronic subsystem may be in communication with the control panel and adapted to wirelessly receive audio content from the smartphone, and to communicate the audio content as an FM signal, in accordance with one or more user playback commands input at the controls of the control panel, to the remote FM radio system.
In another aspect the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for wirelessly connecting a smartphone to a remote FM radio system. The apparatus enables playback of audio content delivered wirelessly to the smartphone via a wide area network, on the remote FM radio system. The apparatus may comprise a housing adapted to receive a DC power signal from a remote DC power source. A control panel may be included which has a plurality of controls for controlling the playback of the audio content on the remote FM radio system. At least one of the controls may perform a function in common with a playback control appearing on a display of the smartphone. An FM modulator may be included which is tunable to a desired FM frequency to match a frequency that the FM radio is tuned to. A wireless communications transceiver may be included which is adapted to automatically establish a wireless communications link with the smartphone when the smartphone is placed within a predetermined proximity of the apparatus. A controller may be used which is in communication with the FM modulator, the wireless communications transceiver and the control panel. The controller may be configured to receive the audio content from the wireless communications transceiver and to convert the audio content to an equivalent modulated FM signal for transmission by the FM modulator to the remote FM radio system.
In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a method for wirelessly connecting a smartphone to a remote FM radio system. The method may be used for controlling a playback of audio content delivered wirelessly to the smartphone via a wide area network, on the remote FM radio system. The method may comprise using a housing having a power cord to receive a DC power signal from a remote DC power source. A device having a control panel with a plurality of controls, and a display, may be used to control the playback of the audio content on the remote FM radio system. At least one of the controls may operate to perform a function in common with a playback control appearing on a display of the smartphone. The method may further include establishing a first wireless communications link between the smartphone and the device to receive audio content from the smartphone, which the smartphone has received over a wide area network. A second wireless communications link may be established between the device and the remote FM radio system, and used to enable the device to transmit the audio content as an FM signal to the remote FM radio system.